Device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule
The invention relates to a device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule, including a capsule mounting and a capsule housing, inside of which at least one water inlet and a capsule-boring means are arranged, characterized in that said housing is sized so as to at least partially deform any capsule, consisting of a material that is deformable when placed in contact with hot water and placed in the housing, such that the capsule is retained in the housing after the contact thereof with the hot water.
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This application is the U.S. national phase of International Application No. PCT/IB2010/053256, filed 16 Jul. 2010, which designated the U.S. and claims priority to IB Application No. PCT/IB2009/053205 filed 23 Jul. 2009, the entire contents of each of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
FIELD OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention falls within the field of the preparation of drinks or beverages, e.g. those based on coffee, by extracting a concentrated dose, e.g. of ground coffee, contained in a capsule. It relates more specifically to the devices that use such capsules.
PRIOR ARTCapsules and machines that operate on the aforementioned principle have been in existence for several decades.
Patents U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,899,886 , 2,968,560, 3,403,617 and 3,607,297 describe devices in which the capsule is initially pierced at several points, then has pressurized water passed through it.
The capsule described in patent CH 605 293 or in patent EP 0 242 556 B1 comprises a membrane in its lower part. Water under pressure is initially introduced into the upper part of the capsule, causing the capsule to swell, mainly in the region of the membrane. Beyond a certain pressure, the membrane tears thereby allowing a water-coffee mixture to flow out.
Other capsules equipped with membranes are described in the following patent documents: EP 0 468 079 A, EP 0 806 373 A, EP 0 554 469 A.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe present invention seeks to avoid the use of capsules made of a material that can be deformed on contact with hot water. This is because that type of material can cause malfunctioning in certain devices.
The subject of the invention is therefore a device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule comprising a capsule support and a capsule cage inside which there are at least a water inlet and capsule-piercing means, characterized in that said cage is sized in such a way as to deform, at least partially, any capsule, made of a material that can be deformed upon contact with hot water, which is placed in the cage, so that the capsule is retained in the cage following its contact with hot water.
According to a first embodiment of the invention, the internal wall of the cage comprises a recess in which is housed a deformable element the coefficient of rigidity of which is greater than the coefficient of rigidity of the material of which the capsule is made.
The recess may have the form of an annular groove or of one or several holes.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the internal wall of the cage comprises pivoting elements of the vane type which are designed to be completely housed in the wall of the cage if the coefficient of rigidity of the capsule exceeds a set value and, if not, to emerge at least partially from said wall.
According to another embodiment of the invention, the internal wall of the cage comprises a relief of the barbed hook type.
Finally, the internal wall of the cage may be in the form of a bell and has an internal volume greater than the volume of the capsules.
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter via some nonlimiting embodiments illustrated by the following figures:
The invention is described in greater detail hereinafter via some nonlimiting embodiments illustrated by the following figures:
It should be noted that the slightly deformable element 7 has to be adapted so that it applies a certain force toward the center of the cage 5. The cage 5 is also provided with a water inlet 5a and a piercing device 5b.
The alternative form illustrated in
The alternative form shown in
The alternative form in
Finally, the alternative form in
Further, once the hot water has been removed, the capsule 1 is jammed in the cage 5.
It goes without saying that the invention is not restricted to the examples illustrated in the figures.
Claims
1. A device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule comprising:
- a capsule support,
- a capsule cage, and
- at least a water inlet and capsule-piercing device inside the capsule cage, wherein
- the capsule cage is sized in such a way as to at least partially deform any capsule made of a material that can be deformed upon contact with hot water which is placed in the capsule cage so that the capsule is retained in the capsule cage following its contact with hot water, and wherein
- the capsule cage includes an internal wall having several recesses in the form of holes, and several deformable elements each housed within a respective one of the holes, wherein
- the deformable elements have a coefficient of rigidity which is greater than a coefficient of rigidity of the material from which the capsule is made.
2. A device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule comprising:
- a capsule support,
- a capsule cage, and
- at least a water inlet and capsule-piercing device inside the capsule cage, wherein
- the capsule cage is sized in such a way as to at least partially deform any capsule made of a material that can be deformed upon contact with hot water which is placed in the capsule cage so that the capsule is retained in the capsule cage following its contact with hot water, and wherein
- the capsule cage comprises an internal wall and pivoting elements formed on the internal wall, wherein
- the pivoting elements are completely housed in the internal wall of the cage if the capsule exhibits a coefficient of rigidity which exceeds a set value but emerge at least partially from the internal wall of the capsule cage when the coefficient of rigidity of the capsule is less than the set value.
3. A device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule comprising:
- a capsule support,
- a capsule cage, and
- at least a water inlet and capsule-piercing device inside the capsule cage, wherein
- the capsule cage is sized in such a way as to at least partially deform any capsule made of a material that can be deformed upon contact with hot water which is placed in the capsule cage so that the capsule is retained in the capsule cage following its contact with hot water, and wherein
- the capsule cage has an internal wall which includes a barbed hook relief.
4. A device for preparing a drink extracted from a capsule comprising:
- a capsule support,
- a capsule cage, and
- at least a water inlet and capsule-piercing device inside the capsule cage, wherein
- the capsule cage is sized in such a way as to at least partially deform any capsule made of a material that can be deformed upon contact with hot water which is placed in the capsule cage so that the capsule is retained in the capsule cage following its contact with hot water, and wherein
- the capsule cage includes a bell-shaped internal wall having an internal volume greater than a volume of the capsules.
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Type: Grant
Filed: Jul 16, 2010
Date of Patent: Aug 25, 2015
Patent Publication Number: 20120199010
Assignee: ETHICAL COFFEE COMPANY SA (Fribourg)
Inventor: Alain Mariller (Le Mont-Pèlerin)
Primary Examiner: Reginald L Alexander
Application Number: 13/386,482
International Classification: A47J 31/00 (20060101); A47J 31/36 (20060101); A47J 31/06 (20060101);